It’s your worst nightmare as a business owner. Patient zero comes into the office then you watch the rest of the team fall like dominos. Well, not this year!
These are the steps we took in our office to protect our team from nasty colds and flu’s.
Think of the germ hotspots.
Think of anything that is used by everyone:
- Breakrooms
- Hotdesks
- Meeting Rooms
- Cutlery
- The water fountain
Disinfect, Disinfect, Disinfect.
Regularly wipe down common surfaces and areas with disinfectant wipes. Buy your team antibacterial gel to use after client meetings (unless you can get away with telling them not to shake people’s hands?).
Encourage your team to wipe down their workspace daily before they go home and to make sure any germs are wiped out before their return to work the next day.
Encourage employee immunisation.
Do some research and find out where your team can get their flu shots done or see if you can get a local chemist to come into the office one afternoon. Prevention is better than cure!
Tell sick employees to stay home.
As a leader your employees should feel comfortable coming to you if they’re sick and taking a day or two off. Make sure that they know it’s okay to stay home if they are ill, this will help them get better faster and also reduce the risk of them spreading their germs.
Set and example.
Don’t contradict your own policies by sneezing on someone then shaking their hand. Practice what you preach and wipe down areas after you have used them this way your team will see the example you’ve set and follow suit.
Good luck this flu season! Let us know your healthy, office tips!